Perth punk pioneers The Victims have released a new song about Charles Manson, titled Charlie. The track was written 40 years ago, but its release now is like a “goodbye and good riddance” to the cult murderer.

In 1977, The Victims went to see a film called Helter Skelter which depicted the Manson murders and the subsequent investigation and trial. Charles Manson himself had become a notorious figure and for some people he was a pop culture icon. People were endlessly fascinated by the details of the murders and the bizarre world of Manson and his followers.

The Victims took a different view – they thought Charles Manson was a total loser. After watching the film, drummer James Baker (who went on to gain notoriety in the Beasts of Bourbon, Hoodoo Gurus and The Scientists) wrote some lyrics and Dave Faulkner (Hoodoo Gurus), set them to music. Charlie was born.

This year, Baker and Faulkner performed under The Victims name for the first time in nearly four decades with Ray Ahn of The Hard Ons playing bass. They enjoyed themselves so much they decided to record a half dozen of The Victims songs that had never had a proper recording back in ’77/’78 when they were active. Charlie is the first taste of these recordings.